Every time I hear a story about a researcher spending money to travel to a National Archives facility only to find out the records they seek aren’t at that location, are unavailable for research, or that the reference staff are unable to assist the research in the short travel window they have available, I cringe. … Continue reading Two Steps Every Researcher Should Take
Join us for #JFK100 Social Media Day
Join us for #JFK100 Social Media Day on Tuesday, May 23! Archives, museums, and cultural organizations will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s birth. Learn about the life, Presidency, and legacy of JFK through social media activities hosted by the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) community. Experts will be on hand to talk … Continue reading Join us for #JFK100 Social Media Day
World War I Social Media Day
On April 11, social media accounts from 20 different libraries, archives, and museums came together to share their World War I records and collections. Organized by the National Museum of American History, activities took place all day on Twitter, Facebook, and across the web, and the National Archives and Presidential Libraries were excited to participate! … Continue reading World War I Social Media Day
Searching the Dawes Rolls
Today's post comes from Jason Clingerman, Digital Public Access Branch Chief at the National Archives. Are you looking to sharpen your research skills? We’re exploring some of the most requested records at the National Archives and how to search for them in the Catalog. Today we’ll take a closer look at the Applications for Enrollment in … Continue reading Searching the Dawes Rolls
Teaching from the Archives
Today’s post comes from Meredith Doviak, Community Manager for the National Archives Catalog. Meredith recently spoke to Dr. Jaime Cantrell, Visiting Assistant Professor of English at The University of Mississippi. Dr. Cantrell has introduced undergraduate students to the importance of archival research and materials by encouraging them to become citizen transcribers for the National Archives … Continue reading Teaching from the Archives
The Catalog is Cooking!
You might already know that jelly beans were a staple in Cabinet meetings with President Reagan, or that President George H. W. Bush was not a particular fan of broccoli, but did you know the National Archives Catalog contains many food related records, including recipes from the White House chefs and First Families? The holdings … Continue reading The Catalog is Cooking!
Get More from Archives.gov with our New Search
Today’s post is the third (and last) in a series about recent enhancements to NARA’s flagship website, Archives.gov. On average, about 180,000 queries are entered into the search box on Archives.gov each month. Roughly 8-10% of those queries originate on our homepage. What these statistics tell us is that search is a critical pathway for … Continue reading Get More from Archives.gov with our New Search
Try Out Our New Calendar of Events
Today’s post is the second in a series about recent enhancements to NARA’s flagship website, Archives.gov. From book signings to workshops, NARA’s educational programs and public events provide many opportunities to learn about America’s government and history. We host hundreds of events each year in locations across the country, including 13 Presidential Libraries, the National … Continue reading Try Out Our New Calendar of Events
Are you a Writer? Come Join us for NaNoWriMo Write Ins!
November is known for many things: Autumn weather, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving. It’s also known as NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month. Every November thousands of folks (over 430,000 people signed up in 2015) spend November completing life dreams of novel writing. The goal is to write 50,000 words in the month of November. Many of … Continue reading Are you a Writer? Come Join us for NaNoWriMo Write Ins!
Archives.gov is Now Mobile-Friendly!
A few days ago, our website underwent a substantial behind-the-scenes overhaul (learn more on the AOTUS blog). While most of the changes we made are “under the hood,” there are a few visible enhancements we’d like to highlight for you. Today’s post is the first in a series that will share some of the details … Continue reading Archives.gov is Now Mobile-Friendly!